JERUSALEM: Israel’s airport authority on Monday resumed operations at the country’s main airport, Ben Gurion, after briefly closing its airspace.
Local media reported a “suspicious object” being spotted near the facility that led to its closure for about 30 minutes.
“The airport is open for landings and departures,” the airport authority said in a statement.
The Israeli army later said in a statement that five drones had been intercepted “in the area of the Mediterranean Sea” and stressed that there were no security risks to the airport.
“The UAVs were intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory,” it said.
“In addition, it should be emphasized that there is no concern for a security incident in the area of Ben Gurion Airport,” which is near the commercial center of Tel Aviv.
The temporary suspension of the airport’s operations came weeks after Israel’s airspace was briefly closed when Iran targeted the country with around 200 missiles.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later vowed to make Iran “pay” for its “big mistake,” while Tehran in turn warned of a “decisive and regretful” response to an Israeli attack.
Israel is at war with Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has previously claimed rocket fire toward Tel Aviv from Lebanon.
Another Iran-backed group, the Houthis of Yemen, in early October claimed a drone attack on Tel Aviv, after saying they had fired a missile at Ben Gurion Airport. The latter attack led to Israeli air strikes on Yemen.
Israel airport authority says Ben Gurion airport reopens after brief halt to flights
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Israel airport authority says Ben Gurion airport reopens after brief halt to flights
- Local media reported a “suspicious object” being spotted near the facility that led to its closure for about 30 minutes
- “The airport is open for landings and departures,” the airport authority said in a statement
Palestinians met requirements for Israel to extend banking waiver, source says
WASHINGTON: Israel’s requirements for the indemnification needed to allow Israeli banks to continue conducting transactions with Palestinian banks have been met by the Palestinian authorities, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Technical experts argue that should warrant an extension of a current indemnification — set to lapse on Oct. 31 — for at least a year to avert an economic crisis in the West Bank, the source said.
US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, who last month warned Israel that allowing the banking relationships to lapse would put its own security at risk, spoke on Monday with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, according to the source. They discussed security and economic issues, as well as the authority’s efforts to improve its anti-money-laundering and countering-the-financing-of-terrorism regime.
Adeyemo noted the authority’s progress on the issue, including completing key milestones for assessing risks within its jurisdiction and bolstering effective compliance with international standards, the source said.
Israel’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lebanon security source says planes switch runways after Israeli strike near Beirut airport
BEIRUT: A Lebanese security official told AFP that the country’s national airline had to switch landing strips on Monday after Israeli strikes near Beirut’s only international airport hit close to the main runway.
“Middle East Airlines switched the runway it was using because the main runway is close to the site of the Ouzai strike,” the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Hezbollah hides millions in cash, gold under Beirut hospital, says Israel
- There are hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold inside the bunker right now, Israeli military’s chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari says
JERUSALEM: Hezbollah has stashed hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold in a bunker built under a hospital in Beirut, Israel’s military said on Monday, adding it will not strike the facility as it keeps up attacks against the group’s financial assets.
Fadi Alameh, a Lebanese lawmaker with the Shiite Amal Movement party and the director of the hospital in question, Al-Sahel, told Reuters that Israel was making false and slanderous claims and called on the Lebanese Army to visit and show it only had operating rooms, patients and a morgue.
Alameh said the hospital was being evacuated. Israel’s military said it was not going to strike the facility.
Reuters could not independently verify the details provided by the Israeli military’s chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, which he said had been collected by Israeli intelligence for years.
Hezbollah could not immediately be reached for comment.
In a televised statement, Hagari said Hezbollah’s former leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, whom Israel killed last month, had built the bunker which was designed for lengthy stays.
“There are hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold inside the bunker right now. I’m calling on the Lebanese government, Lebanese authorities, and the international organizations — don’t allow Hezbollah to use the money for terror and to attack Israel,” Hagari said.
“The Israeli Air Force is monitoring the compound, as you can see. However, we will not strike the hospital itself,” Hagari said.
Israeli Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi told troops in Lebanon that overnight between Sunday and Monday, aircraft had struck around 30 sites belonging to Al-Qard Al-Hassan, which Israel says is Hezbollah’s financial arm.
Hagari said more strikes against Hezbollah financial sites were to continue.
Fire extinguished at Syria’s Homs refinery, state media says
CAIRO: Firefighting teams and civil defense forces extinguished a fire that broke out at the gas department of Syria’s Homs refinery, state media reported early on Tuesday.
Cooling operations are currently being carried out, it added.
Queen Rania meets young entrepreneurs in Jordan
- Program had been supported by her sponsorship initiative
AMMAN: Queen Rania met a group of young Jordanians in Amman on Monday to discuss their income-generating projects, as part of a program previously supported by her sponsorship initiative.
The sponsorship scheme, which aimed to empower young entrepreneurs, has successfully backed 190 youth-led projects across Jordan.
The schemes were primarily selected by civil society organizations with support from the Jordan River Foundation, utilizing its own community empowerment programs, the Jordan News Agency reported.
The entrepreneurs shared insights into their initiatives at the meeting, detailing the job opportunities they had created and the vocational and professional skills developed among fellow Jordanians.
They highlighted several success stories that demonstrated the positive impact of the ventures on their lives and communities and, rather than pursuing traditional employment routes, had showed their commitment to following their passions and launching unconventional projects.
Each participant in Queen Rania’s sponsorship program had already established a small project, successfully creating between one and three part-time or full-time jobs prior to receiving support.
The initiative aimed to provide young leaders with the necessary resources and mentorship to expand their businesses further to enhance their social impact.
